Canadian Poker Champ Continues Winning Spree
Jonathan Duhamel has proven lately why he is considered one of the greatest players today. The young Canadian pro, who made headlines after winning the 2010 World Series of Poker, recently pocketed a little less than $1.2 million in two weeks playing in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure event.
Duhamel came a respectable second in the $25,000 PCA High Roller event, earning himself $634,550 for losing to Leonid Bilokur. He also reached four final tables during the nine day event, and his overall winnings during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure were impressive, to say the least.
Speaking of his successful PCA tournament, where the Canadian poker champ won over $1.1 million, Duhamel said: "I was just more determined than I've ever been before. I felt like I needed some scores. I was on a cold streak for the previous few months, so I wanted to do well."
The Makings of a Great Poker Player
So what makes this Canadian poker professional tick? Why has he managed to prove that he is not a one-time winner of a major title before fading away to make place for other greats?
Some say that Duhamel's great work ethics and his sheer tenacity have allowed him to come out the other side of the WSOP limelight and remain a constantly good player.
Poker analysts point out that Duhamel has managed to avoid the glare of the media and the hype surrounding his poker fame and put practice and poker playing at the top of his list of priorities. Despite the many demands of being a celebrity in Canada and across the poker world, Duhamel insists that poker playing comes first.
Since the 2010 World Series of Poker when Duhamel beat 7319 players to win $8.9 million in the Main Event, Duhamel has played 91 live tournaments. Also, since the beginning of 2011, he has played in no less than 385 online poker tournaments, including at his favorite site, Poker Stars.
"There are people out there who, when they accomplish something big, they want to be the best in the world, to prove their success wasn't fluke," noted Joe Cada, 2009 world poker champion. "That's a step in the right direction. You can see that Jonathan has that mindset. He's putting his mind and all his time into it, traveling, playing tournaments and being a great player. Poker's a game of the least mistakes and he's doing a great job of putting in his time."
